Perennially recognized as a good workplace for mothers, the California company also has earned a reputation for employee loyalty at a time when other apparel retailers commonly see turnover of more than 100 percent annually.

Employees from acquired companies find ways to unite with one another through their affiliation with the English soccer club. The partnership added a new dimension in October with ‘Pass It On,' an employment and client engagement initiative.

Employees in these highly credentialed fields will see an average 3.5 percent pay hike next year, according to staffing firm Robert Half. ‘There is a drought of highly skilled people,' says a recruiter.

SHRM’s 2011 Employee Job Satisfaction Survey shows that 83 percent of 600 randomly selected employees are satisfied with their current job. However, only 28 percent reported being satisfied with job security, which has ranked as the most important aspect of job satisfaction for four years in a row.

Retaining top talent is emerging as a big issue, but our organization can't rely solely on increasing salaries and bonuses to keep our best people. For one thing, our competitors are often larger and can offer more money. What steps could our not-for-profit take to increase the odds of retention? How do we adopt a total talent management strategy?

We know what we want to say, we know what we want it to mean, but we communicate in a way that means one thing to us but it's heard differently by the recipient. It all may be perfectly innocent but it can still cause friction and misunderstandings.